Starbright (49 page)

The last time Aidan was here, he was denied entry until Nathan came along and helped him out. Now he was considered an honored guest?

Suppressing his annoyance, he pulled a five-dollar bill from his wallet and gave it to the doorman. Beth watched the money exchange hands, but she didn’t say anything. It was just as well because, as usual, Aidan intended to pay for everything this evening.

Their first stop inside was the coat check. Despite the crowd of Starlight Studios’ finest in the lobby, Aidan remained a gentleman and helped Beth out of her coat. After handing it over to the attendant and obtaining the receipt, he zeroed in on Beth’s dress and felt his heart come alive. The night had only just begun, yet he couldn’t wait until they could get out of here and be alone again.

As they entered the dining hall, Aidan kept a reasonable gap between them in an effort to keep his hands to himself and not blow their costar cover story. The main room was a mix of dense smoke, loud conversations, and jubilant music performed by an orchestra set up on a makeshift stage along the far wall. Circular tables covered by white tablecloths and adorned with silver cutlery, candles, and flower centerpieces were scattered throughout the hall, and in keeping with the romantic occasion, pink, red, and white decorations hung from the ceiling.

“There they are.” Beth pointed toward the back, where Nathan, Olivia, Connie, and Matthew sat at in a semicircular booth.

Nathan acknowledged them with a wave. Beth took off across the room. Aidan followed, noticing their arrival had caught the attention of many guests.

“Hi, Beth!” Olivia leapt from her seat and they embraced. “You look wonderful.”

“Thanks.” Beth gestured to Olivia’s dark blue evening gown. “So do you.”

Connie greeted Beth and echoed Olivia’s flattering remark. She wore a low-cut black dress and a blanket of diamonds around her neck. As Nathan and Matthew, dressed in similar charcoal suits, welcomed Beth with kisses on her cheek, Olivia hugged Aidan.

“You’re looking pretty suave there, Mr. Evans.” She smiled at him extra widely, clearly hunting for a compliment.

Aidan was more than happy to appease her. “Thanks for your help.”

She did a little curtsy. “You’re welcome.”

“How are ya, Evans?” Matthew flashed Aidan a cocky grin. “Nice penguin colors.”

“Aidan, what’s your drink of choice this evening?” Nathan asked as they shook hands. “I’ll summon the waiter.”

“Nothing for me, thanks.” Aidan slid into the booth with Beth and gave Connie a polite nod. She returned the gesture.

Many guests stopped by the table to say hello and inquire into Aidan and Beth’s work on
Golden Gloves.
The couple kept their responses vague to avoid contributing to the gossip mill. Their friends came to the rescue on more than one occasion by redirecting the conversation when things got too personal.

After dinner, photographers from various agencies made the rounds. The six of them posed together, and for the first time since the race in Santa Barbara, Aidan and Beth didn’t switch seats or ensure they weren’t present in the same photograph. The way Aidan saw it, if Mr. Mertz gave them a hard time about it later, they could use the excuse that it was good publicity for
Golden Gloves
.

The emcee took the stage to introduce the orchestra after the photographers were satisfied. As an excited buzz overtook the dining hall and patrons began rising from their seats, Aidan knew he was out of the loop on something.

“Ladies and Gentleman,” the emcee said. “It’s time for everybody’s favorite Romanoff’s tradition!”

Aidan darted his gaze around his table, unnerved by the mischief present on his friends’ faces. “What tradition?”

Connie and Matthew stood, ignoring his inquiry.

Nathan helped Olivia from her seat. “You’ll find out soon enough. Come on, everyone. Let’s go.”

Beth slid out of the booth and looked at Aidan expectantly.

He shook his head. “I’m staying here.”

Disappointment shrouded her face more densely than the smoke that lingered throughout the hall. With a defeated sigh, Aidan tossed his napkin onto the table and rose to his feet. All he could hope was that he didn’t make a fool of himself.

Once the group reached the dance floor, Matthew tilted his head from side to side and rolled his shoulders, as though he was limbering up for an Olympic event. It only made Aidan feel more apprehensive.

The emcee raised his microphone. “Now, those of you who are new to the festivities tonight—don’t worry. The steps are simple. First, I need all of you to form a circle—male, female, male, female. Please take your places now.”

Aidan lined up on the perimeter of the dance floor between Olivia and Beth. Nathan, Connie, Matthew and the rest of the guests completed the circle.

“When the orchestra commences, men, face the woman on your right and link your left arm with her left arm. The two of you will then rotate together counter clockwise. After one rotation, you will link your other arms for a second rotation, this time in the clockwise direction. The men will then spin the woman once and move counter clockwise to the next woman in the circle.”

The instructions might as well have been shared in a foreign language as far as Aidan was concerned. He looked at Beth. She graced him with an excited smile. He was about to tease her that she was going to make this up to him later on, when the orchestra commenced a sprightly country melody.

Aidan might have been born in Indiana and still shaking the hayseed out of his hair, but he still felt severely uncomfortable. He didn’t get a chance to dwell on it. Olivia reached for his arm and whipped him around in a circle. Beth was nothing but a blur of brown hair and red satin as she danced away from him. The next thing Aidan knew, Olivia was gone and Jean Simmons had taken her place. Although he was supposed to be the one in control, he was completely lost and found it best to let the women lead.

As Aidan danced with Ann Blyth, Nathan tossed him a grin. “Having a good time?”

“I feel like an idiot!” Aidan shouted over the music.

Nathan completed a rotation with Lauren Bacall. “Don’t worry. You look like one, too!” he said, his blue eyes shining.

Aidan couldn’t help but chuckle as he linked arms with Maureen O’Hara and completed the required steps. As the dance progressed, he loosened up and surprisingly had a good time. Some of the other men looked as rusty as he did, which helped reduce his self-consciousness.

Finally, he received the ultimate payoff for his efforts. It was his turn to dance with Beth. After they rotated twice, Aidan spun her, and against the rules, pulled her flush against him. Fireworks detonated under his skin as their eyes locked. The music faded.

Lost in a moment of heavy breathing, bright smiles, and the warmth surging between them, his lips drifted to hers. Then she was gone, pulled away in another man’s embrace, and somehow, Matthew had taken her place. He hooked his arm with Aidan’s, preventing an escape.

Aidan regarded him with both horror and amusement. “What the hell are you doing?”

“You of all people should understand the lure of breaking the rules!” With a chuckle, Matthew rotated counterclockwise. Aidan had no choice but to follow him.

After they rotated together the second time, Aidan was fully prepared to run, given what was required next. Before he could make his move, Matthew lifted his arm and spun him as if he was a broad, which earned them quite a few laughs from the crowd. All Aidan could do was laugh along with the other guests.

When Matthew let go, Connie took his place. This was the first time Aidan was in her company with no tension between them. They even smiled at each other. When she moved on to the next man in the circle, Aidan linked arms with Ms. Blyth, with whom he’d already danced. The original order of the circle was gone.

Finally, the music stopped. He waited for the room to stop spinning and then zeroed in on Beth across the dance floor. He removed a glass of water from the tray of a nearby waiter and headed for her.

Grinning, he handed her the glass. “Did you enjoy yourself?”

Beth finished the water in a few big gulps and placed the empty cup on an adjacent table. “Gosh, that was amazing! What a great stress reliever after working hard at the studio all week.”

Aidan took in her beautiful smile, fighting the urge to give her a kiss. “I’m glad you had fun.”

Olivia skipped over to them, pulling a grinning Nathan behind her. “Wasn’t that a hoot?”

The emcee returned to the stage. Louder cheers erupted in the hall. “Thank you for taking part. Next up is the scandalous new tune by Hank Larson and the Lone Stars, ‘All Night Long.’ ”

Shrieks tore throughout the room.

Olivia jumped up and down. “Oh, this is going to be good!”

“I’ve never heard this one before.” Beth looked at Aidan quizzically.

He shrugged. “Me neither.”

“This song has been banned from radio by the Federal Communications Commission,” the emcee said. “However, Hollywood isn’t exactly known for its high morals.” He paused as laughter drifted from the crowd. “So we decided to treat you all tonight.”

On cue, Hank Larson took the stage and grabbed the microphone. His band assembled behind him amongst deafening applause.

“Good evening,” he said. “And Happy Valentine’s Day!”

The first notes blasted from his band and he began singing.

Call my name, baby,

No more playin’.

Give me what you got,

Don’t be a tease.

Bring me to my knees,

Make me crazy.

Oh, I ain’t goin’ nowhere.

Oh, yeah.

All night long.

The lyrics were risqué, given the songs that were usually played on the radio. Although Aidan wasn’t a square, he could understand why the FCC banned it.

“Come on, Beth, let’s dance.” Olivia gave her arm a tug.

After a defeated glance in Aidan’s direction, Beth let Olivia drag her to the middle of the dance floor.

Nathan grinned at Aidan. “I guess we’re sitting this one out.”

As Aidan watched Beth move her hips and laugh with Olivia, a fond smile overtook his lips. “I’m okay with that. I don’t think these are my type of moves, anyway.”

The two men returned to the table, where Connie and Matthew sat drinking and smoking.

“I wonder if this type of music…” Matthew’s eyebrows knitted together. “What are disc jockeys calling it?”

“Rock and roll,” Nathan replied.

“That’s right—rock and roll. I wonder if it will ever take off?” Matthew gestured to the dance floor, his cigarette burning between two fingers. “The crowd really seems to dig it.”

Connie lowered her glass to the table. “If the FCC ever warms up to it, I bet it will.”

Matthew took a drag and exhaled toward the ceiling. “Maybe I should look into it. I’ve passed up some songs recently because I was concerned the bee-bop would be too jarring for my fans. But if this type of music is the way of the future, it might not be a bad idea to cut a single and see what happens.” He tapped his ashes into an ashtray. “I don’t mean a radical departure from what I’m doing now, but expanding my horizons a little might not hurt.”

“I say go for it.” Nathan removed his Lucky Strikes from the pocket of his suit jacket. “I have a feeling it’ll become a craze, regardless of the FCC’s objections. It’s pretty catchy stuff.”

Matthew leaned back in his chair. “Heck, maybe I’ll even look into writing my own songs for a change.”

Aidan resumed watching Beth.

Nathan followed his gaze. “We’re lucky guys, aren’t we?”

Without hesitation, Aidan nodded. “Don’t I know it.”

When the song ended, Hank Larson and the Lone Stars left the stage, and the original orchestra returned, commencing a romantic tune. Arm in arm, Beth and Olivia began their walk back to the table. They didn’t get far. A young man in a dark suit approached them, his eyes focused keenly on Beth. She stopped and greeted him with polite smile, but her discomfort was palpable as she wrung her hands and tried to dodge his stare.

Aidan leapt from his seat, his hands balled into fists. Although it was crucial to stick to their costars cover story, seeing the young man chat her up was enough to launch him into overprotective boyfriend mode.

“Don’t do it, Aidan.” Smoke streamed from Matthew’s mouth on the warning.

“Yeah, you should stay here,” Nathan said. “She can handle that guy on her own.”

Aidan headed for Beth, ignoring his friends’ advice. With his temper battling his self-control, he walked up to the young man and jutted his thumb toward the door.

“Get outta here, man.”

His eyebrows drew together. “Excuse me?”

Aidan gritted his teeth. “I said scram.”

The young man squared his shoulders. “I’m allowed to request a dance.”

Aidan closed in on him, chest-to-chest, eye-to-eye. “Either you back the fuck away from her, or I’ll throw you out of the restaurant.”

The ruthless look on his face spoke volumes about the validity of his threat. The young man took off without delay. Olivia gave Aidan a thumbs-up and returned to the table.

“May I have this dance?” Aidan slipped his arm around Beth’s waist and took her hand, holding her closer than a costar should. He heard murmurs from the crowd but didn’t care. This was where he belonged.

Beth eyed him warily. “Do you feel comfortable with this?”

“Do you?” Aidan gave her a twirl. Her laugher rang out in concert with the music.

When they returned to form, Beth’s eyes shone up at him. “I only ask because you were worried about what Mr. Mertz would say about us being seen together tonight.”

Aidan shrugged. “The way I figure it now is the restaurant is crawling with people from the studio and they aren’t the ones buying movie tickets.”

“I’m glad you came to my rescue.” Beth rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

The hostility Aidan felt earlier seeped from his body, and he spent the next several songs swaying with her in an intimate corner of the dance floor. Only when the orchestra announced a break did they return to the table. By that time, the party was in full swing, and people were finally minding their own business.